Volume 39, Number 07
Travel
Miles of Benefits
Making the Most of Frequent Flying.
by Miles Hopkins
"We’ll now start boarding all First Class passengers and frequent flyer cWard holders."
The haunting reverberation of these words can still give me nightmares as I surveyed the departure gate surrounded by screaming children, and the realization that my iPod was out of battery. Yet again a chance to ponder why I’d not signed up years ago for any of the frequent flyer schemes offered by all the major airlines. I always thought that my first trip to Japan seven years ago was only going to be for three months and never bothered to register. I didn’t realize that since then I would take 28 international flights (at least half to the UK). A quick calculation shows that if I’d taken all my flights with the same airline in economy, I’d have enough points for six return trips to the UK—that’s not bad for not having to do anything.
Of course in reality, as we’re not all rich rock stars, we don’t have the option to fly with the same airline all the time, so you end up with a wallet full of frequent-flyer cards and miles spread out over many different schemes. The sensible option is to pick a couple of the major frequent flying schemes, and then where possible, try to stick to the airlines that are members. It may cost a few yen extra each time, but the ability to then build up a collection of air miles will be worth more in the long run.
So, which are the good frequent flyer programs to join? As a stereotypical Englishman, I’m a fan of Virgin Atlantic. It’s not part of the big three (Star Alliance, Sky Team or One World) but it is affiliated with ANA and Singapore Airlines, among others, which lets you collect points and miles for all flights taken with partner airlines at any ticket level. This is particularly handy for the weekend trip to Singapore or Hong Kong. For the longer-haul trips, if you take just two and a half economy return flights to Tokyo, you have enough points (two per leg) to move from entry level ‘red‘ to the middle level ‘silver’. Among other benefits, this means you get to check in using the premium economy queue at Heathrow. (This may seem trivial but in reality saves a good one-hour on each trip—time that can be much better spent at the bar, in the departure lounge, or in one of the airline lounges if you can elicit an invitation to them.) Two return flights to the UK also gives you enough flying club miles for a free upgrade to Premium, which is worth about £320 ($637 at the time of going to print). Who said there’s no such thing as a free lunch?
For frequent travel in Asia, Cathay Pacific operates a scheme called Asia Miles. It’s basically identical to OneWorld (same partners) but has, as the name suggests, an Asian focus. Again, you can earn miles for staying in a multitude of hotels in and around Asia and it is perfect for when you are off on holiday with the family. You can also use this with American Airlines for US flights, BA for UK flights, and Cathay of course for the inevitable Hong Kong Sevens trip (allow at least a week to recover from this).
Also the ability to earn miles when you stay in affiliated hotels, book rental cars, and spend money on certain credit cards, can vastly increase your earning power. Virgin Atlantic and MBNA offer you two miles for every £1 spent ($1.55 at the time of going to print). If you use your credit card to pay your mortgage or rent and most of your larger payments, then it is the equivalent of a three percent discount. (You can buy Virgin Air Miles for cash at a rate that works out at 1.5 pence (3 cents) per air mile). American Express offers a very similar partnership with British Airways, and Citibank have their own partnerships too.
If you are lucky enough to get sent on business trips you are almost guaranteed to be able to keep any air miles earned for yourself. Companies may often have a corporate deal with the airline to fast track you onto the higher levels of their flying club. It’s worth contacting the airline directly to find out if there is any special offers you can take advantage of.
So what are you waiting for? The key is to take a slightly long term view and start collecting today. Air miles in general are valid for four to five years after you’ve acquired them, or if you fly at least once a year, they won’t expire before you’ve had a chance to use them. Before you know it, you’ll have enough saved for a free upgrade or even a free flight. Now, even I am prepared to put up with a few screaming kids if I’m flying for free. And it makes all that in-flight champagne much tastier too.
For more information about the air miles please see the following providers: Star Alliance: www.staralliance.com, Sky Team: www.skyteam.com, Virgin Altantic: www.virgin-atlantic.com, OneWorld: www.britishairways.com, Asia Miles: www.asiamiles.com